Clay Studio of Missoula Artist-in-Residence Program:

About the ResidencyEstablished in 2003, the residency program at the Clay Studio of Missoula is designed to encourage the creative, intellectual and personal growth of emerging and established visual artists. A studio residency is an ideal opportunity for a developing artist who is looking for a place to pursue focused work while gaining important technical skills and teaching experience. Residents should be enthusiastic and dedicated to their artwork, enjoy working with other people in a community studio setting and have working knowledge of the ceramic medium. Previous experience working in a ceramics studio is strongly preferred.

Currently hosting 5 residents, the Clay Studio of Missoula residencies range from 1-6 months (short-term) to up to two years (long-term). We also offer a Community Residency for artists interested in coming to work in Missoula for less than one month. The Clay Studio’s director and a selection committee choose new residents annually in the spring. The selections are based on the quality of the work, its artistic merit, and the diversity of the prospective group in terms of work, background, and stage of career development. Long-term residents are initially granted a one-year residency, and are given the opportunity to extend into a second year with Board approval.

Residency expectations
The Clay Studio expects that each resident will contribute approximately 5 hours a week in studio and gallery maintenance. The 5 self-directed hours working for the Clay Studio per week may include such general studio tasks as loading and firing kilns, cleaning and organizing the studio, gallery assistance (including work packing and exhibit install/de-install), assisting with studio improvements, and performing other duties and special projects as needed. Residents are also asked to assist with the production of fundraising events and are often called upon to offer technical or creative advice to studio artists, interns, and students.

Wood Fire Residency
While any Clay Studio resident may fire the wood kiln, the Clay Studio of Missoula maintains one residency opportunity dedicated to a year-long wood fire residency. This opportunity may also be extended into a second year with Board approval. Interested applicants should have a strong, developed body of work; have previous experience firing wood kilns; feel comfortable directing firings; possess a strong work ethic, and have a desire to work within a community setting.

The Clay Studio of Missoula’s wood fire program is popular with both students and members, and the wood fire resident plays an important role in maintaining and developing this program. Expected tasks include teaching classes on wood firing, managing the wood firing community, acting as the contact to our wood suppliers, managing kiln maintenance, implementing safety policies, and supervising community and class firings. In exchange, firing fees for the wood kiln are generally waived for the wood fire resident. Time spent managing the wood fire program will account for some but not all of the wood fire resident’s hours contributed to helping to run a successful community studio.

Studio
Long and Short-term Residents are assigned a dedicated, semi-private studio space to work in for the duration of their residency (approximately 125 sq. ft.), and receive 24-hour access to the Clay Studio facilities. Community Residents are granted shelf space and work alongside our Community Artists, and receive 24-hour access to the Clay Studio facilities. Residents are responsible for their own studio tools, housing and transportation, and kiln and material fees (at cost). Resident artists are encouraged to teach classes as a way to share their knowledge and experiences, as well as to interact with our local Missoula community. Teaching opportunities are paid.

Gallery
The Clay Studio has a dedicated sales gallery and an exhibition space. Residents are encouraged to put work up for sale in our sales gallery, and all long-term residents are invited to present a solo exit show in the exhibition gallery near the end of their residency. The Clay Studio has a developing permanent collection, and asks that all residents leave a significant piece for the collection at the completion of their residency.

In addition, the Clay Studio has a Soldner clay mixer, slab rollers, an extruder, a variety of classroom kick and electric wheels, a stocked glaze lab, spray booth, a small light box and fade for photographing work, and other assorted studio supplies.

Wood kilns
The Clay Studio of Missoula has access to two wood kilns just outside of Missoula, about a 15 minute drive away from the Clay Studio up Black Mountain. The Anagama kiln is approximately 720 cubic feet, and usually fires for 6-8 days. Our smaller wood/soda kiln has about a 2 day firing period for works up to cone 10. Wood firings cannot be scheduled during periods of fire danger (usually mid-May through mid-October) and/or stage 3 air quality alerts.

Clay Studio of Missoula History
The Clay Studio of Missoula is a nonprofit community center for the ceramic arts working to provide affordable studio work facilities, information, resources, and development opportunities for working and aspiring clay artists. The Clay Studio of Missoula's goals are: to provide a quality work environment for all levels of clay artists through group sharing, to provide high level personal instruction for those starting out or those with particular inquiry, and to offer work space for the more mature artist who may not be able to afford the high costs of a private studio.

Founded in 1998 , the Clay Studio offers a wide array of ceramics classes and workshops to adults and children of all skill levels; provides local ceramic artists with affordable access to studio space and professional quality equipment; hosts emerging and established national and international resident artists who share their ideas, experiences, and techniques with our students; and maintains a gallery space that presents monthly exhibitions of contemporary ceramics as well as showcases ceramic artwork made by resident and community artists.

Clay Studio of Missoula-University of Montana Summer Residency

Now in its seventh year, the Clay Studio of Missoula invites current students or recently graduates of the University of Montana with experience and an avid interest in ceramics to apply for the newly established Summer UM Student Residency.
From approximately mid-May through mid-August, the UM Resident will work in the community studio space, which consists of shared community studio area, and be given five shelves to store work and supplies. For the general public, this usually costs $125/mo plus an annual membership, but all these fees are waived for the UM Resident.

Residency benefits/obligations include:

5 designated shelves in the Studio Artist communal work space

24/7 access to the facility

A year-long membership to the Clay Studio of Missoula

Assist with summer workshops. For an undergraduate student working towards a career in the ceramics field, this is great opportunity to build experience!

UM residents will have the same obligations as other residents (studio and gallery duties up to 5 hr/wk, plus create six cups and plates for our summer High Tea fundraiser )